Case Study
Carrside Lasses
Laura, Cassie, Alicia, Demi and Janessa
A youth club in Brandon, an area in the worst 18% of deprivation in the UK, might not be your typical setting for a Royal Wedding celebration. But then that’s not taking in account the Carrside Lasses and their amazing passion for getting their community together for a right royal knees up. Laura, Cassie, Alicia, Demi and Janessa, who make up the Carrside Lasses said they wanted to put on a celebration for the rest of the community to join a moment in history.
Everyone from babies to grandparents, neighbours and friends came along to enjoy the day, making sure they followed the dress code of red, white and blue. The Carrside Lasses did a fantastic job of decorating the centre. Julie, the centre manager, said the whole room was awestruck watching the wedding and the girls all commented how beautiful Kate looked. After a short break to enjoy the fantastic buffet and bountiful raffle, everyone piled back in to wait and see if the Royal couple would have a kiss – they weren’t disappointed!
As an additional part to their Keyfund project the girls also revitalized the centre’s garden area – brightening it up with a good lick of paint, clearing out any rubbish and weeds and putting in a seating area making it much more welcoming to everyone coming to the party. Demi said, ‘Wow, I can’t believe what a difference this has made. When can we do the front?!’ Well, that’s just what the girls are planning on doing for their next Keyfund stage. It is hoped that this will draw more people into the centre and leave a legacy of projects for the next generation of young people to get involved with.
The girls enjoyed working as a team and really developed their skills of negotiating with others and having to rely on other people. Rachael, the girls’ facilitator said, ‘the young people now choose to take responsibility for things they could improve on and which challenge them.’ This has fed through to their schoolwork, and after identifying their own needs, the centre now has a tutor in every week. Two of the girls are sitting their GCSEs this summer and we wish them all the good luck in the world.
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